2026-09-16 – Championship Game 1: LA @ SF

An Amanda Gianelloni grand slam went for naught as LA Queens reliever Jamie Mackay smothered the Firebells offense for six innings allowing her team to claw their way back to a 7-6 victory in Game 1 of the WPBL Championship Series. Adding to the somber mood, Firebells’ reliever Rosi Del Castillo collapsed with an apparently serious knee injury when fielding her position in the sixth inning. It seems unlikely that she will be available for the rest of the series.

Firebells starter Kelsie Whitmore struck out Ayuri Shimano and Ashton Lansdell to begin the contest, but then gave up back-to-back singles to Jamie Mackay and Caitlin Eynon. Isabella Villareal flew out to right to end the inning, but Whitmore would end up pitching through traffic the entire night. The Firebells put two on in their half of the first as Queens starter Amira Hondras gave up a two out hit to Skylar Kaplan and a walk to Andreanne Leblanc. Jill Albayati, returning to the batting order for the first time since her hamstring injury in mid-August, hit a laser that seemed destined for left field only to be robbed by a leaping grab by Queens shortstop Caitlin Eynon.

The Queens scored first in the top of the second. Michelle Roche started the frame by grounding out to third on the first pitch. Sarah Edwards singled on her first pitch. Maggie Foxx flew out to left. During Mo’ne Davis’ at bat, Edwards stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. She trotted home easily when Davis singled on the next pitch. The inning ended with a Shimano ground out to third, but the Queens were up 1-0.

That lead was short-lived. Hondras plunked Alexia Jorge to lead off the inning, continuing Jorge’s dubious distinction of leading both the regular season and the post-season in the hit by pitch category. Hondras then walked Jua Park on four pitches. She bounced back by striking out Joely Leguizamon looking on three pitches. But Ela-Day Bedard singled on the first pitch she saw, loading the bases for Amanda Gianelloni at the top of the Firebells’ batting order. Gianelloni pulled Hondras’ first pitch over the left field wall for a no-doubt grand slam. 4-1 Firebells.

Queens manager Eric Young had seen enough, and replaced Hondras with Jamie Mackay who would frustrate the Firebells for the rest of the night. Mackay got Kelsie Whitmore to fly out to right and hot-hitting Skylar Kaplan to ground out to second.

Whitmore was unable to get the shutdown inning after the Gianelloni slam. Ashton Lansdell greeted Whitmore with a single on her first pitch, and Jamie Mackay followed up with a first pitch double down the left field line. Caitlin Eynon waited for the second pitch to hit a slow bouncer to Albayati at third, who played the ball well but her throw couldn’t beat the speedy Eynon to first. Lansdell scored from third but Mackay was held up at second with the play in front of her. 4-2 Firebells.

Continuing the Queens’ game plan, Villareal went after the first pitch but flew out to Skylar Kaplan in right. Kaplan’s throw to the infield came in high, and Firebells’ shortstop Joely Leguizamon mis-timed her leap for the ball, catching the ball in her face. Leguizamon went down and the ball rolled into left, allowing Mackay to move to third.

The trainers came out to evaluate Leguizamon who was still on her knees in obvious pain. Leguizamon would ultimately tough it out and remain in the game with obvious swelling on the left side of her face. As inevitably happens in these circumstances, Leguizamon was called on to get the last two outs of the inning. First pitch swinging, Michelle Roche popped up to short, forcing Leguizamon to track down the ball while running down the “turtleback” infield into short left–a difficult play under the best of circumstances. Leguizamon got to repeat the trick on the next pitch as Sarah Edwards also popped out to short for the final out of the inning. Leguizamon nonchalantly tossed the ball back to the mound and trotted off the field like nothing had happened. Tough kid.

The Firebells punched back in their half of the third. Leblanc walked to lead off the frame. Albayati flew out to center. Jorge got on base painlessly with a single. Park flew out to center, and now Leguizamon had to bat with two out and two on. Leguizamon lashed the first pitch she saw into the left field corner for a no doubt double. Day-Bedard followed up with a clean single to score both runners. Gianelloni struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Firebells were now up 6-2.

Mackay would keep the Firebells down for the rest of the game. The Firebells went in order in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings. They got the first two base runners on in the fifth with a leadoff single from Albayati and yet another Jorge hit by pitch. Jorge took a long hard look at Mackay as she walked up the first base line escorted by both the umpire and Queens 1B Sarah Edwards. Mackay proceeded to strike out the bottom of the Firebells batting order to get out of the inning.

The Queens would score one in the fourth on a single from Maggie Foxx, who eventually advanced to third on wild pitches. She would score on a single from Shimano. 6-3 Firebells.

After Mackay tapped back to the mound to begin the fifth, things unraveled for Whitmore. Eynon and Villareal singled and Roche walked to load the bases. Manager Matt Williams decided to stick with Whitmore, even after Edwards singled to score Eynon and keep the bases loaded. An ill-advised pick-off throw to first bounced off of Edwards and rolled away from Firebells 1B Adreanne Leblanc, allowing Villareal to dash home for a second run. Foxx grounded to the busy Leguizamon at short who started a double play to get out of the inning. But even the double play wasn’t enough to kill the Queens’ momentum with the score hanging in the balance at 6-5 Firebells.

Firebells reliever Rosi Del Castillo started the sixth and was greeted by a double into the left field gap off the bat of Mo’ne Davis. Top of the order Shimano dropped a drag bunt up the first base side of the infield and Del Castillo jumped off the mound to field it. She got her glove on the ball and then her right knee collapsed. Del Castillo threw her cap and slapped the turf in obvious pain and you knew her night was over. Del Castillo ultimately had to be carted off the field with her availability for the rest of the series in serious question.

Liz Gilder had to come on with runners at the corners and no outs. Lansdell did what Lansdell does and doubled home Davis to tie the game. Gilder hit Mackay with the pitch to load the bases. If this had been in any other circumstance, one might be forgiven for thinking the Mackay plunking was payback for the Jorge hit by pitch. Eynon put the Queens ahead for good with a sac fly to center that scored Shimano. Gilder would strike out Villareal and Roche to end the inning without further damage, but the 7-6 score would stand as the rest of the game passed quietly.